The value of taxable properties in Santa Clara County rose by 4.6% since last year—showing that the pandemic’s economic impact had a limited reach. “This was not a normal business cycle,” Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone told San José Spotlight. “This was a self-imposed recession, based upon the health crisis.” The total value of...
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VTA to discuss remodeling site of San Jose mass shooting
A mass shooting in May left San Jose without light rail service for weeks. Now that VTA has a roadmap to resume service, the transit agency will discuss a budget that, among other things, seeks to rebuild parts of the rail yard damaged in the shooting. VTA’s Board of Directors will discuss funding Tuesday to rehabilitate and rebuild...
San Jose mayor meets with Biden to talk gun violence
Just weeks after the San Jose City Council approved sweeping gun control reforms on two separate occasions, Mayor Sam Liccardo and President Joe Biden met Monday in Washington, D.C. to discuss a national strategy to reduce gun violence. “I had the honor of participating in a robust discussion today with President Biden and a half-dozen civic...
Some Santa Clara County workers return to the office
Roughly 15 months after offices across the South Bay shuttered due to the pandemic, some county employees are slowly returning to the workplace. “With our responsibilities, we need people in the office,” Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone told San José Spotlight. “There were always people in the office during the pandemic, but now we’re...
Meet the man looking to oust Santa Clara County’s district attorney
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen has coasted to reelection in all of his races. But progressive public defender Sajid Khan—after months of speculation and criticizing Rosen’s approach to prosecution—will be Rosen’s first challenger. Khan, 38, announced Sunday he’s running for district attorney, marking Rosen’s first opponent since elected in 2010. “The time for transformation...
Bloom Energy sues Santa Clara over permits—for a second time
Bloom Energy filed suit against Santa Clara last week—marking the second time the San Jose-based energy company has sued the city to issue permits for its fuel cell boxes. “Climate change is rearing its ugly head,” Santa Clara Councilmember Suds Jain told San José Spotlight. “My main opposition to Bloom Energy is that their carbon footprint...
Records show history of neglect at destroyed San Jose landmark
Before the H.G. Wade Warehouse in Alviso burned down last month, it suffered through a decade of neglect and failed attempts to transform it into a usable structure. San José Spotlight reviewed hundreds of pages of enforcement investigations and emails obtained through a public records request documenting the city’s fruitless attempts to keep the building from falling further into...
Santa Clara County DA accused of retaliating against deputy
A deputy district attorney in Santa Clara County claims his office retaliated against him by issuing “unprecedented” security notices after being placed on indefinite leave. San José Spotlight on Thursday published an op-ed by Daniel Chung, a deputy DA who said the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office put him on paid administrative leave after he...
San Jose to study creating cannabis equity program
After months of discussion, San Jose officials have a timeline for conducting a report which will document residents’ experiences with cannabis-related crimes and barriers to entering the legal market. The findings could determine how the city will use more than $550,000 from the state’s Bureau of Cannabis Control to create a cannabis equity program. Equity programs can...
Silicon Valley pedals closer to region’s first bicycle superhighway
Santa Clara County is planning the region’s first bike superhighway—but a route still needs to be selected. “I don’t see a bicycle superhighway going down El Camino,” Erik Lindskog, a member of VTA’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, said at Wednesday’s meeting. “I think a bicycle superhighway needs to be a little more separate from...